


How to Raise a Superhero: A Guide By The Avengers

by LadyIsabelleStark



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, BAMF Phil Coulson, BAMFs, Childhood Trauma, Children, Clint loves 1D, Domestic Avengers, F/M, Family, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Fluff and Humor, Hammer tech, Humor, Kick ass science ladies, Kid Fic, Kid Peter Parker, M/M, Nick Fury Swears, PTSD, Stevie loves his Tony, Tony doesn't like children, but Peter is perf and so he likes Tony anyway, but also canon compliant, don't get parenting tips from the avengers, idk - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-26
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-24 17:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/942426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyIsabelleStark/pseuds/LadyIsabelleStark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somehow, Peter Parker weasels his way into the Tower and their hearts, and there's just no way they could turn him away. </p><p>And then he gives them devastating <br/> news, and nobody's sure what to do anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In which Peter comes home

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is inaccurate because Peter doesn't get bit until high school in the comics and movies, but oh well. Enjoy this little drabble.. Hopefully I will continue soon! :)

_Day One, August 25th, 2O13._

_"I pledge alligance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, of which it stands-"_

"Gah!"

Tony Stark sat straight up in bed, heart pounding out of his chest and his mind still repeating the pledge (damned middle school nightmares). 

He slid his hand down his chest and over the cool metal of the arc reactor, comforted slightly by the blue light spilling between his fingers. He scooted around under the sheets and planned to burrow into them for at least-eh, about an hour or so before Bruce woke him up-but he was so rudely interupted by JARVIS, chiming in "Sir, Director Fury and the rest of the Avengers are requesting your presence on the first floor living room." 

Voice muffled from him being underneath a pillow, he responded, "Director Fury? Is the world burning down?"

"Not that I can tell, sir. He says it's a surprise."

"What kind of a surprise? It's not my birthday," Tony grumbled, only curiosity and the tempting promise of coffee in the kitchen carrying him out of his room. Blearily rubbing at his sleep crusted eyes and combing through his hair with his fingers, he shuffled down a few flights of stairs and down into the spacious living room. 

There, he saw possibly the strangest thing he'd ever witnessed in his tower (coming from a man who had seen the Cap completely hammered and also Nick Fury in a tutu and boa feathers): a small toddler. 

"Why is there a child in my living room," Tony asked aloud, looking up at the ceiling in mock wonder. "A child, also known as a tiny terror on legs, a filthy carrier of disease, and also, a _complete fucking disaster_?"

Darcy, who actually looked kind of adorable in her shirt he was positive he'd seem Loki wear before and plaid pj pants, was sitting on the floor holding said child, cuddled him to her a little closer and covered his tiny ears, glaring up at Tony. "Language, idiot. Peter doesn't need to start swearing at the age of three."

"Peter?" he questioned, taking a seat on the carpet. The kid (Peter, apparently) looked over at him with huge brown eyes, and Tony tried really, really hard not to smile. 

"Peeetaaah!" yelled a very hyperactive Clint, bursting into the room, leaping over the side of the couch, and placing a small silver object in front of him. 

The kid blinked approximately twice and burst into loud, hysterical sobs. 

Okay, so maybe the Avengers weren't the best with children, Tony thought, still marveling over the fact that there was one in his house. But where the hell is Fury? He glanced over the room quickly, seeing Bruce sitting on the couch (staring at him, like usual) next to Steve (also staring, also quite usual) and Natasha perched on the corner next to to them, making _actual cooing noises_. 

"What in the world did you do?" said Ms. Pepper Potts, striding into the room with a look of shock on her pretty face. "I was gone for literally five minutes to get him some graham crackers and-oh, good morning, Tony." She smiled sweetly at him, and he did his best to not grimace at her, despite the screaming. 

"Hey," he tried once, staring at Peter hopefully. "Hey. Peter." He snapped his fingers at him once, a wave of satisfaction washing over him when the kid sucked in a hiccuping breath and looked his way. 

Tony dug around in his sweatpants pockets and took out one of the plastic toy soldiers Steve liked to leave in his pockets, simply to annoy him (and break the washer, much to Pepper's dismay.) 

"You like this?" he placed the toy onto the carpet and pushed it toward him, aware of the way the room had gone completely silent. "Here, it's all yours. Steve has plenty." 

In the corner of his eye he saw Bruce's eyebrow raise and Steve stiffen slightly, but he didn't look up at them, just smirked. 

Peter grabbed at the little thing, the tears on his rosy little cheeks already dry. "He likes my toy better then yours," Tony taunted, sitting back and watching the boy play. "Suck it, Birdman."

Clint, who was pouting next to Natasha, harrumphed and crossed his arms a little bit tighter. "But they're babies," he whined, "they're supposed to like shiny objects."

Ignoring Clint's opinions on baby toys, he looked around again, noticed Darcy's shirt (to which he winked at, and she gave him the Darcy Death Stare, as Jane had named it) and then noticed the three large absences. 

"Where are Thor, Furry, and Loki?" he asked, hoping Nick was somewhere close just so he could hear his new nickname. 

"Loki excused himself shortly after Director Fury arrived, and there was an emergency on Asgard," Natasha said, shrugging slightly. "Loki was muttering something about 'beasts' and 'ankle biters,' I've got no idea where he went."

Unable to hide the smirk on his face, he turned toward Darcy, who rolled her eyes and sighed at him. "I am not Loki's _keeper_ ," she snapped irritably, glaring again at Tony. "But I do know he likes that café down on 24th," she muttered shyly, tucking her head into her chest. Tony smiled triumphantly and winked at Nat over Darcy's head, who was already phoning the café since Loki never, ever answered his phone. Not even if Tony set it to a One Direction ringtone. Come to think of it, he realized, that's probably why he ignored it. Note to self: change Loki's ringtone. 

"Hey, don't chew on that!" Tony said, flailing his hands slightly at the sight of an army man sticking half out of Peter's mouth. "Stop it!"

"For gods sakes, Tony," Pepper grumbled, sweeping Peter up into her arms and removing the plastic toy from his mouth in one smooth movement. "A little bit of saliva isn't going to kill you-yes, Bruce, it's a figure of speech, get over it," she said, stopping the scientist in his tracks as he tried to protest that statement. 

"It almost killed Peter," remarked a voice, and six heads swiveled toward the stairs. On the second to last step, Nick Fury stood tall, holding the largest assortment of baby supplies Tony had ever seen in his lifetime (which most definitely wasn't a lot, but whatever). 

"He choked on his own spit?" Tony asked incredulously, staring up at the kid, who was happily yanking on Pepper's earring. 

"No, Mr. Stark," Fury said, giving him a long stare as he set the overflowing boxes down. "Mr. Parker got bit by a spider. A very _special_ spider. A-" he glanced over at Bruce, who motioned for him to continue on. "A genetically engineered spider," he continued, and Bruce turned a little green, staring at the munchkin with complete sympathy. "And now, he's got some very interesting abilities and no home. So guess what, motherfuckers?" 

Everybody glared at him but didn't say a word, because trying to get Nick Fury to stop saying his favorite word was like taking away Thor's conditioner: it never happened. 

"We get-actually, _you all_ get-to keep him." 

Tony raised a finger into the air, eyes wide with disbelief. "Um, no, I have a problem with this arrangement, and also, this is my building, thank you very much."

At which Pepper decided to place the baby down on his neck, and he nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise. 

"Fuck-holy-yeah, hi," he said slightly sternly, sliding him down from his shoulders and cradling him in his arms. His hazel eyes sparkled with intelligence as he giggled and yanked on Tony's beard. "Papa," he said in his little baby voice, and a little crack appeared in his heart. It got even bigger when Peter grabbed for the toy solider and shoved it at Tony's face, grinning gleefully. 

"Stop it," he muttered darkly, shooing the tiny hands away from his face. "Stop. I can't start to like you, or I'll get all soft like Captain Apple Pie over there." 

At the mention of Captain, Peter's eyes got even larger as he reached out for him. 

Steve locked eyes with Tony and got all adorably blushy, sinking even further into the couch. 

"Here," Bruce said, holding out his hands and nudging Steve in the side with his elbow. "Since somebody's being shy today." 

Steve's eyes darkened as Tony passed the squirmy child over to Bruce, watching as he happily grabbed for Bruce's glasses and set them crookedly on his small button nose. "Don't be mean, Tony," Pepper said quietly, laying a hand down on his shoulder. "We're all.. Adjusting." 

Adjusting. Ha. How many times had he heard that?

Nightmares after Afghanistan? Adjusting.  
Chest pains with the new arc reactor design? Adjusting.  
Uncontrollable jealousy seeing _Loki and Darcy_ (of all people!) together on a _actual date_? Oh, he was just adjusting to his new life here. 

Yeah, bullshit. 

He stares at all the silent people around him, his "family", and wonders if the newest (un)official member can help them all finally _adjust._


	2. Care and Feeding of a Baby Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony gets some inspiration, Clint really likes British-Irish boy bands, and Coulson takes the ladies to Walmart. 
> 
> Hell yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short and sporadic-I wanted to get something out there today still. Enjoy! x

"He is _not_ staying in my room," Tony said, ticking off topics on his fingers. "Nor am I getting up with him in the middle of the night. Or changing him. No. No. Nope." 

Director Fury sagged up against the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Tony, this has to be a _team effort._ Meaning all of you fuckers get responsibilities. Especially you."

"Especially me?!" he gestured around wildly, eyes wide with disbelief. "Why me? I haven't even done anything remotely bad yet this month!"

Fury arched an eyebrow, glaring at Tony with his classic 'I have eyes everywhere' look. "So hacking into Hammer Tech isn't remotely bad?"

A scoff escaped Tony's lips before he could even think about what he was doing, quipping: "Please, it was practically a gift. The world doesn't need any more of his shitty technology." 

He was about to give up the last shreds of his patience and scream at Tony until he shut up and listened, but slow, deliberate footsteps on the stairs made them both freeze. 

"I believe it would be an excellent learning experience for you to have Peter in your room, Anthony," said the trickster god, sauntering down the steps wearing the smuggest smile Tony had ever seen (He really needed to work on his. Nobody had a better smug smile then Tony Stark.)

"Loki," said the two other men in unison, making Loki's grin even bigger as he opened his arms widely. 

"Hiya, reindeer games. Thought you didn't like 'ankle biters' very much," Tony said smoothly, Loki raising an eyebrow at the direct quote. 

"Miss Romanov has excellent hearing capabilities," he muttered, staring at Natasha through the glass. "I did not think anyone would catch that. Anyhow," he said, shaking his head and snapping himself out of his thoughts. "Aren't there things to prepare for the child?"

"Actually, yes," Tony said suddenly, snapping his fingers with inspiration. "I know exactly where the little monster can stay."

~

"Hi, Steve," Tony said, grinning brightly at the super solider, even throwing in a little wave. "Guess what?"

Warily staring at Stark, Steve replied, "Hello, Tony. What's up?" 

"I know where Peter's going to stay!" he said excitedly, clapping his hands together. He watched as Steve scrutinized his overexcited actions, staring at him like he'd stared at Tony's StarkPad the first time he heard Siri, baffled and alarmed. 

"Let me guess." Steve's lips quirked into a little smile as he cocked a hip and leant up into the glass. "My room? Pepper's?" 

"Pepper would call me a sexist, masochistic freak if we put the crib in her room. And she doesn't take very kindly to middle of the night wake up calls, trust me, the woman's a nightmare at 3 a.m." he blabbered, eyes looking anywhere but at Steve's face.  
"But um, yeah. I think Peter should stay in your art studio." 

Steve's smirk remained on his face as he shifted slightly and crossed his arms, Tony breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't yelling. Yet, at least, as if he'd ever scream at anyone. "And why is that?"

Tony rattled off a list of reasons he had quickly compiled, most of them complete bulllshit besides the last one: "And um, there's really nowhere else for him to go, honestly."

"Really?" Steve's blue eyes sparked a little as he took a careful step closer to Tony. "Not like, for example, Clint's archery range or Bruce's yoga room? Not there?" 

"The studio is so quiet, and it's close to my room so I can hear if he wakes up-" Steve let out a barking laugh, waving at Tony to get him to stop. "We both know you're not getting up if he starts crying, Mr. Silver Spoon."

Tony furrowed his eyebrows and did his best to puff up his chest before he responded. "I-I want to try and make this work, for all of us," he said, trying not to sound like a cheesy family drama novel, even though his life matched the plot of one pretty exactly. "No, don't laugh at me. I'm not kidding. This kid didn't do anything wrong and he's different in a way he can't control, now he's stuck with it," he said, accidentally getting louder and more firm with each word. "That kid deserves a good life. And I'll be damned if he doesn't get one." 

Wow, Tony thought to himself as he watched Steve go through five different expressions of shock, landing on disbelief. I should totally be a screenwriter. That was a kickass monologue right there.

"Um," Steve said, blushing profusely and running a hand through his hair embarrassedly. "Yeah, you can convert the studio. For now." 

"What was that?" Tony leaned down toward the floor, where Steve's head was pointed. "Couldn't hear you there, Cap."

He picked up his head, looking right into Tony's eyes as he firmly repeated himself. "I said, you can convert the studio, for now." 

Just as Tony was doing a little victory fist pump, the glass door flew open and nearly hit Steve in the jaw. 

"We require your assistance, if you're done chatting now, boys," Natasha practically snarled, the sound of high pitched wailing carrying out the door behind her.

Tony grimaced as the three of them stepped back into the living room, where Pepper was gently rocking Peter back and forth in her arms. His little face was bright red, tears streaming out of his eyes. Clenched in one fist was Tony's toy soldier and Clint's unnamed shiny object in the other, but neither of them seemed to make him calm down any more. 

"Boy, you all have the parenting skills of the Simpsons," Tony grumbled, holding out his arms. "Here, let me try to fix it." Clint scoffed at Tony's word choice, throwing his hands up defensively when Tony snapped, "I don't see you trying to help, Barton."

Little Peter saw Tony's outstretched arms and reached out immediately, elongating himself so he could reach him. A misty look settled over Pepper's eyes as she saw Peter snuggle into his chest, tiny hand placed over the middle of the arc reactor, which made him glow a faint blue. 

"What did I say?" Loki whispered into Tony's ear, placing a hand on his shoulder; making him almost jump out of his skin. 

"You didn't say anything," he spit through gritted teeth, attempting not to cuss Loki out in front of the kid-who was nuzzling into his shoulder in kind of the cutest way possible. 

"Actually, I did. You were just focused on your idea about Steven's art studio," Loki supplied happily, watching the group's reaction. "Oh yes, everyone. Tony had a brilliant idea." His eyes shone with a devilishness that both made him wonder just how smart Loki was and also want to keep him away from children and sharp metal things forever. 

"Tony suggested Peter stay in my studio," Steve added quickly, glancing over at Tony. "Which is fine, but we're going to need a crib. And.. More stuff." 

Tony chuckled at Steve's cluelessness, even though they were mostly in the same boat. Tony had never babysat as a kid or had any siblings of his own, so he was kind of lost on the supplies needed to raise their own personal baby child, if that was a thing. 

"I'd suggest this," Bruce whispered, adjusting his glasses as a play off to the fact that he was staring quite dreamily at Tony."Some of us should go to the store-pick up some things, god knows we need actual food besides half eaten poptarts and fruit roll ups-and the rest of us should stay here and move things around, get things situated in Steve's studio."

Admittedly, it did sound like a good plan, except-"Who's going to watch the kid?" Tony asked, absentmindedly rubbing small circles onto Peter's back.

"Well, I mean, he likes you," Bruce said clumsily, stuttering and biting at his lip nervously. "So you could stay with him and Steve and I could set up the studio; while Pepper, Darcy, and Natasha go get supplies." 

All three women rolled their eyes and said something like "idiots, thinking we're only good for shopping" as they reluctantly got up and moved towards the door. 

"He likes graham crackers if he gets hungry," Pepper said worriedly, staring at the two of them. 

"Yeah, and you can sing to him if he cries," Darcy said (hopefully) jokingly, wiggling her fingers at the pair. "He likes What Makes You Beautiful, kids got good taste."

"You sang a One Direction song to him to make him fall asleep?" Clint asked incredulously, finally peeling himself off the perch he was sitting on. 

"You know the song," she countered quickly, rolling her eyes and huffing. "Chew on that, Birdman." 

And with that, they were off. 

~

It wasn't exactly inconspicuous to take a S.H.I.E.L.D. armored vehicle to Walmart, but seeing as the car contained the worlds deadliest assassin, the Chair of the worlds largest technology company, and an astrophysicist with a Norse god (kind of) boyfriend that would kill him if so much as a scratch got onto Agent Lewis, Coulson didn't really see any other option. 

"You ladies be safe in there," he said as they exited the vehicle in a cloud of flowery perfume and hushed conversation. He usually reserved those words for deadly missions. They were going to Walmart. What the hell? 

Fury really needed to give him some time off. 

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Positively any plot suggestions you have for this are welcome-and I'll definitely credit you. Please don't be shy, comments make my whole day! :)


	3. sons of the prophet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start off fluffy, but because we can't have nice things, it goes waaay downhill from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for an update.. I stewed over this idea for a while.
> 
> Enjoy, and thank you all soo soooo much for all the views, likes, and comments. Love you all!

Despite his very best efforts, Tony fell asleep with the unfamiliar weight of the child against his heart, his calloused hand laid gently against his back. After a few hours, Tony woke to a sharp yanking on his face, aka Peter pulling on his hair. "Papa awake!" said the three year old excitedly as Tony's eyes fluttered open, clapping his tiny hands. 

"Papa? What, no.. Mmm, bacon." Tony muttered, rubbing at his eyes while breathing in the heavenly scent of bacon. "Jesus, is that you making me fattening, beautiful bacon?" 

A voice that was definitely not the voice of God (but probably damn close) called back, "There's only one god, Tony, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't look like me." 

He set Peter down on the floor, motioning him to follow towards the sound of frying meat. "Well," Tony said, trying reaaaally hard not to lean overseductively against the wall. "I happen to think-" 

"Steve? Steve, why does it smell like bacon downstairs? You're supposed to be getting storage containers!" 

Tony suppressed a giggle as Bruce came down the steps, eyebrow raised at Steve. His shirt was slightly rumpled and there was a swipe of red paint under his chin, making Tony raise his own eyebrow. 

"Cheerios," Peter supplied helpfully, tugging on Tony's hand. "Please?" 

"I was making some food for Tony and Peter," Steve said quickly, winking at the little kid. "And we all know how much Tony likes his bacon-"

"-which is also awful for his cholesterol," Bruce finished, glaring over the top of his glasses at Tony, who raised his hands in defeat. "Not you too, Doc," he joked, rolling his eyes as he set Peter down on the counter. "Pepper already gets after me about no chips, no ice cream, nothing _worth eating_ in the house, all this healthy shit." 

"Um, hello. I made you sautéed asparagus and grilled lime chicken yesterday, that's healthy. And you loved it." 

Tony whipped around and smacked the metal cooling vent in the wall, hearing muffled laughing as Clint moved through the walls. "Not helping, Birdbrain!" he shouted, and could faintly hear Barton respond with a ever so loving "Caw caw, motherfuckers!"

Everyone in the room looked around to see... An empty space where Peter was sitting. 

_What?_

"JARVIS, position report on Peter," Tony said seriously, head whipping around as he searched the room with his eyes. 

"Look up, sir." 

Three pairs of eyes slowly looked up to the ceiling to see Peter Parker wearing possibly the most innocent, adorable expression on his chubby face. 

"How-"   
"What in the-"

"Amazing," a new voice breathed, all three men turning around to see Loki marveling at the toddler on the ceiling. "Peter?" 

There was a collective gasp as Peter smiled even bigger and swung towards Loki, shooting a web toward the wall nearest the door. "Loki," he said simply, eye to eye with the man. 

"Yes, Peter," he said carefully, a creepy smile slowly spreading across his face. 

"H-h," Tony said, apparently unable to form a coherent sentence. "How...?" 

Loki's green eyes sparkled with mischief as he cocked his head curiously at the child. "Very intelligent," he murmured, curling his lip slightly. "Very intelligent indeed."

He opened his palms, face completely calm as two swirling green flames appeared on top of them. Peter's eyes got large, tipping towards them, the light casting him in a strange greenish glow. 

"No!" 

Three pairs of hands jostled for the front position, trying to grab the child before he toppled face first into Loki's magic (which he wasn't even supposed to have, what the _actual fuck?_ ) but it was too late. Falling face first onto Loki's hands, he glowed bright green for a moment before disappearing completely. 

Steve, who Tony noted was a crimson red, stormed toward Loki with a clenched fist, only to be held back by Bruce, who looked equally as angry. 

"Oh, don't get so upset. I've got something to tell you all." 

Loki looked like the cat who got the cream as he smiled knowingly behind Steve, Tony, and Bruce. 

Tony pivoted around, seeing the teenage equivalent of a heartthrob slouched on the floor in front of them. 

"Uh," his ultra intelligent mouth said. "Wha..."

The boy curled his lip in disgust, shielding his eyes comically. "Ugh, don't look at me like that, Tony. Or should I say... Well, I can't say. Just.. Ew. Go stare at Steve like that, not me." 

Tony raised an eyebrow quizzically, trying to compute that this kid was Peter. From the future. Or so he assumed, the features on his face were basically the same, plus the effects of puberty. Damn, the kid had some nice cheekbones. And excellently styled hair. And-

Anyway. Judging by the way Peter was talking, Tony was his adoptive father. And adoptive fathers don't think their sons are hot, even if they are from the future. 

"I have some important things to tell you all," Peter said, staring up at Loki. "Thank you for recognizing the signs." 

Loki nodded once, bowing his head slightly. "Of course, Mr. Parker." 

_Signs?_ Tony exchanged glances with Bruce, but he looked equally perplexed by the relationship between the two. 

"I am from the future. I am here to prepare you, maybe even warn you for what comes." Peter's expression, which was all lazy cockiness when he'd appeared, was now sad, even slightly shy. His light hazel eyes locked onto Tony's with fierce determination in them, and he was almost kind of scared to hear what he had to say. He was surprised JARVIS hadn't piped in about the spike in his heart rate already. 

"You will become compromised," Peter said slowly, not blinking once. "Not of mind, or of spirit, well, maybe, but you know... And you-" he gestured to the scientist-"You will help him live with it. You will help him make _the choice_." 

Tony could feel himself go white, pondering the possibilities. He knew Peter couldn't tell them details-altering the time stream and all the shit, _but still_ -but he left room for only one thing; a physical injury. 

Shit. 

"I can't-" Bruce began, already picking at his fingernails like he did when he got nervous. 

"Let him speak," Loki snarled at Bruce, who almost cowered in response. Tony would've defended Banner, but he was finding it difficult to move-or breathe or think or-at the moment. 

"Something will happen to Clint's redhead," he continued, a sad smile reaching all the way up to his eyes. "It will help the team become one." 

He paused, biting at his lip unconsciously as his gaze swept over the room. "And someone will die," he said, with obvious difficulty, as the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees. "And there will be nothing any of you- _us_ -can do about it." 

Tony took a dizzied step toward the boy, who just shook his head. "I'm sorry that I can't tell you details," he said, swallowing hard and not looking at any of them. "I am so, so sorry." 

The billionaire dropped to his knees, meeting eyes with.. With his _son_? 

"Tell me this is a joke," he croaked, the bubble of anxiety in his chest expanding so quickly it was becoming harder to breathe. "Tell me this is Loki's sick version of a fucking joke, and-and..." He voice trailed off, knowing his futile attempts to not believe wouldn't make things not true. 

Peter shifted slightly, raising a arm outlined by green to place a cool hand on Tony's elbow. "You are the leader," he whispered in a low voice meant only for him. "Now is the time to lead your people, Tony Stark." 

His head was pounding, his lungs felt like they were burning, and the way his breathing was unsteady and hitched only spiked his anxiety, assuming a problem with the arc reactor. Taking large, gasping breaths through his mouth, he frantically placed a hand over his chest, where the machine whirred and glowed as usual. 

"I will see you all soon," said an invisible voice, and Peter was gone, replaced again with a small child sitting dazedly on the floor. He blinked slowly at Tony, reaching out and grasping the edge of his pants leg with his small fingers. One of his eyes was bright green, the other a light brown. 

"An effect from the time stream," Loki said quietly, noticing Tony's staring. "It should fade eventually." 

Tony was about to open his mouth and snap that he didn't care about eye colors at this moment, but the scent of burning food and the sound of girlish chatter hit him first. 

_Kill me now, god,_ he thought up towards the ceiling, and laughed inwardly at the cruel irony. 

~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that the cliffhangers are out there.. The next chapters should be much longer, but with more time inbetween because of it. 
> 
> Please tell me ideas if you wish, they help me a lot! :)


End file.
